[4-Knots]

http://onstartups.com/Home/tabid/333...HaveABlog.aspx

I wrote an article about blogging for small businesses this weekend (posted to the other blog I write for Small Business 2.0).

Shameless plug: I’m trying to get this new blog off the ground. If you’re interested in small business innovation and technology, please visit.

In any case, the article on small business blogging sparked some thoughts. Though it’s important for many types of small businesses to have a blog, I think it’s even more important for a startup to have a blog.

The hard part is that startup founders already have a ton to do (building a product, plotting strategy, recruiting co-conspirators, etc.) so finding time to blog is really hard to do. Besides, of all the things you could be doing as a startup founder, is writing a blog really all that useful?

As the old cliché goes, “you have to dig a well before your house is on fire…”. Well, you have to start attracting clients before you have a product, you have to start talking to investors before you actually need capital and you have to start communicating your vision before you actually launch. A blog helps do this.

Reasons Why Startups Should Have A Blog

Find Co-Founders: One of the biggest challenges for many entrepreneurs, particularly first-time ones, is finding appropriate co-founders. There’s evidence that the probability of startup success goes up with the number of founders. The reasons are mostly obvious [Note to self: Write future article about this so called “evidence”]. Most of the people that you would deem “worthy” to join you in your startup are likely going to want to learn a ton about you. A blog is a great way to communicate your passion and vision and find like minded people. Though you could go to networking events, have speaking engagements or do other promotional things, a blog is much more efficient.


Find Employees: Similar to the motivation above. If I were an employee looking to join a startup, I’d want to read about how the founders were thinking about the business before I’d join. We’re entering another tight labor market and it’s getting harder and harder to find and recruit the right kind of people. A blog can help you make sure the right people find you (and select you).


Find Early Customers: Though success in the blogosphere is often fleeting, and only attracts the “early adopter” types, getting these early customers is still important. A lot of these people read blogs because they’re passionate about the area that they work in.


Get Early Feedback: A blog is a great way to start getting feedback (some good, some great, and some crap) about your product idea and strategy. I’m not a big believer in “stealth mode” (for most startups), and lean towards getting some type of external market validation early. A blog provides a vehicle for those that are passionate about the area you are working in to let you know what they think about your offering. If they think your product sucks (and it actually may), at least you have a chance at finding out why.


Find Investors: Not all startups need to raise capital, but some do. If you’re thinking about raising funding, a blog is a great way to communicate the “larger vision” of what you are out to do. Investors also look at what kind of “street cred” you have in the blogosphere. At the core, investors are looking to properly assess the “risk” associated with your startup. Any evidence you can show that you have a clue about what it takes to succeed in today’s competitive landscape helps. Show me a startup that has 20,000+ visitors a week coming to its blog and I’ll show you a startup that has a higher chance than average of raising funding.


Lest you think I’m not heeding my own advice, my co-founder and I have committed to writing an article a week for our new blog (http://www.smallbusiness20.com). This blog is basically associated with our current startup, HubSpot and seeks to become a resource for the types of clients we want to attract some day. (Right now, HubSpot is still pre-launch – somewhere between alpha and beta).

What are your thoughts? Do you have a blog for your startup? Are you thinking of starting one? What’s holding you back?

posted @ Monday, September 18, 2006 11:15 AM

[Deejay]

I disagree Businesses don't need blogs. If your using a blog to find customers/employees/investors then your nuts.

Businesses don't need blogs, the only thing more dumb is having a myspace account!

Anyway, flame away at me - I don't mind

Edit: (blogs are ok for some ventures, such as MDHP and artdrops portraits - but for proper businesses, then I say there not needed - and make you look unprofessional)

[nado]

<begin rant @ Deejay>

No you're nuts

Not only does a blog help your business website climb the search engines rankings (SEs love fresh, regular content)... but a blog does the exact opposite of making your business look "unprofessional". It actually establishes a more intimate relationship with your customers... as they get to see that there is actually a real person behind the business and not just a board of old fools.

And a blog can also show the customers that the business owner/runner/employer has a greater personal connection and passion for the business... can be seen in the emotions poured into the blog.

And a blog gives a greater sense of involvement on the customer's behalf. As they can read what's going on and can post comments etc.

Writing a blog adjacent to a business is how blogs are supposed to be used, and have a much greater chance of being useful than a blog on itself.

/end rant

cheers
nathan

[Deejay]

haha I knew you or akula would disagree!

I use the phone and email to create a relationship with my customers. Maybe im just oldschool? And I also use my actual business website to climb the search ranks. No need to create a blog to get a high ranking - then link to your business - when you can just get your business website a high rank.

If I walked into a shop and saw they had a blog - the first thing i'd say is 'WTF?'

Each to there own I guess

[nado]

Phone and email are secondary methods of building a customer relationship. A website and blog are primary as your website is basically like your store and your blog is like your employees/salespersons.

Sure you can achieve high SE rankings using a standard website, but it means you need to be manually adding new information/text. With a blog, in a few clicks you can add new information and the SEs will notice this, and crawl your website more often, pushing you up the ranks.

I think you're confusing which type of businesses should have blogs.

If the business already has a website or should have a website (i.e. they're based online or using a combo of offline and online), then a blog and email newsletter is something they should definitely have.

If it's just an old school business you might find on the street or in a mall and they don't have a website yet then yeah if they say "look we have a blog!... yay", then that's weird.

A blog is a marketing tool, which if used effectively is the next best thing to word-of-mouth.

cheers
nathan

[Deejay]

Points taken.

But I have an online business, and I still can't see what benefit a blog will bring me. I have a quarterly newsletter though.

Customers come to my site and buy products. That simple. I talk with them on the phone often to assist (and low key build relationships) with them.

I can't imagine one of these people thinking weeks after the sale "Hey, I wonder what Deejay is up to now days - lets go read his blog!". Truth is customers don't want a relationship with me and to read my blog. They want my service, and more importantly my products.

I also can't imagine someone stumbling upon my blog and thinking "Gee, Deejay seems like a nice guy! I think I'll go buy a product from him....I wonder what he sells...."

My marketing is business directories, word of mouth, and print advertising. If I believe a blog can get me more customers I will jump on the oppourtunity - but I just can't see how it will.

Maybe im missing something - I dont know

(not arguing for the sake of it - just unconvinced.)

Im off to shag a sheep,
Laters!

[nado]

Originally Posted by Deejay

Im off to shag a sheep,
Laters!

ok, we'll leave it at that

[amazing]

Microsoft uses blogs and so do many fortune 500 companies who have a strong internet presence. I think everyone has missed the point of blogs - they won't directly bring in customers/sales but they can do wonders for a companies image and are extremely effective at communicating with the public.

[4-Knots]

Originally Posted by amazing

Microsoft uses blogs and so do many fortune 500 companies who have a strong internet presence. I think everyone has missed the point of blogs - they won't directly bring in customers/sales but they can do wonders for a companies image and are extremely effective at communicating with the public.

you hit the nail on the head. I think 90% of companies, any type of companies would benefit by using a blog. Even a local shop where it would be unneccessary perhaps, it'd do well for them.

Most companies that have blogs are only technology based, if you use the internet as part of your business, I think you should have a blog.

[MsNadi]

Originally Posted by 4-Knots

you hit the nail on the head. I think 90% of companies, any type of companies would benefit by using a blog. Even a local shop where it would be unneccessary perhaps, it'd do well for them.

Most companies that have blogs are only technology based, if you use the internet as part of your business, I think you should have a blog.

You're comparing apples and oranges when discussing the need for having a blog. Microsoft, Apple, AMEX are not good companies to use to make the case for a blog because they were internationally known and accepted BEFORE their blogs. Their corporate statures drive blog attention.

In the article, the author is speaking in reverse - blog attention is driving potential company structure. And considering we're all on a message board for entrepreneurs, I'd say the latter applies to ALL of us. None of us are Microsoft.

That being said, I don't think many people understand why they're blogging except that a lot of new companies and web 2.0 internet based companies are blogging. Hell, my partner and I are blogging.

The truth is blogging is becoming a dime a dozen. How many people are actually reading these so-called blogs? And how many of us (myself included) are operating the cart before getting the horse - the blog WITHOUT the business? And how many people out there are BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS? = all viable options, but options that are again, becoming dime a dozen.

I agree that blogging can help people associate emotionally with your business - because it is a way to communicate with the greater global community in a way that is OUTSIDE of your product/service. That being said, I think many blogs have little or no effect on the success of the businesses that are attached to them. There are a FEW that are successful at driving brand name associations, but for the most part - they're there. They're not helping much...and they're not hurting either. They're just there.

[MsNadi]

Originally Posted by 4-Knots

you hit the nail on the head. I think 90% of companies, any type of companies would benefit by using a blog. Even a local shop where it would be unneccessary perhaps, it'd do well for them.

Most companies that have blogs are only technology based, if you use the internet as part of your business, I think you should have a blog.

Why?? Many successful businesses launched and